Useful Information About Tyres

Your tyre tread is vitally important to your safety on the road. In wet weather, the grooves of your tyres help to remove water from the contact patch between your tyres and the road surface, meaning your car can brake, steer and accelerate properly. Without adequate tread depth, your tyres may not be able to perform properly in wet conditions reducing your safety on the road.

On very wet roads, low tread depth could even result in you losing complete control of your vehicle through a hazardous process called "aquaplaning". Watch our video to find out more. By regularly checking your tread depth, you can minimise the risk, helping to keep you, your passengers and other roads users safe.

Please Note: Tyres are health checked by taking three readings across the width of the tyre, starting with the outside tread depth measurement. Any excessive variance in the three readings may indicate the need for a wheel alignment check to avoid further excessive wear.

As a rough guide, a millimeter (1mm) of tyre tread lasts from approximately 1,000 - 4,000 miles dependent upon driving style, road and weather conditions and tyre rubber compound.

8mm - Your tyre is 0% worn

7mm - Your tyre is 15% worn

6mm - Your tyre is 31% worn

5mm - Your tyre is 47% worn

4mm - Your tyre is 62% worn

3mm - Your tyre is 78% worn

2mm - Your tyre is 94% worn

1.6mm - Your tyre is 100% worn

Illegal Tyre(s) Penalty Warning:

For every tyre offence there is a maximum fine of £2,500, with discretionary disqualification and a compulsory driving licence endorsement of 3 penalty points.

No of Faulty Tyres

Max Fine

Penalty Points

1

£2,500

3

2

£5,000

6

3

£7,500

9

4

£10,000

12

Wheel alignment

Incorrect wheel alignment can result in uneven tyre wear and it can also cause your tyres to wear more quickly than normal. This in turn can have an affect on the handling and safety of your vehicle.

At Gates, we offer tracking and wheel alignment checks that look at the direction and angle of the wheels, to ensure that your vehicle wheels are aligned to maufacturer's recommendations.

If your vehicle requires a tyre replacement, or if tyre wear is uneven on the front wheels we would recommend:

Front wheel alignment check: £14.99

Further to this check, should the front wheels need to be aligned, all-inclusive price will be:

Check and Adjust front wheel alignment: £44.98

If you are experiencing steering problems, or if rear tyres are also wearing unevenly, we would recommend:

Four wheel alignment check: £49.99

Further to this check, should the wheels need to be aligned, all-inclusive price will be:

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DisclosureWe work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who may be able to offer you finance for your purchase. We only offer finance products from these providers: Ford Credit, Blackhorse, Alphera Financial Services, London and Surrey Motor Finance Limited, Creative Funding Solutions and ALD Automotive Limited (trading as Ford Lease).